Confessing Sin

 

DEVOTION

THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO MATTHEW

CONFESSING SIN

Matt 3:4-6

4 John's clothes were made of camel's hair, and he had a leather belt around his waist. His food was locusts and wild honey. 5 People went out to him from Jerusalem and all Judea and the whole region of the Jordan. 6 Confessing their sins, they were baptized by him in the Jordan River.

NIV

There is such a great debate and a far difference of opinions regarding this baptism of so many people in the Jordan River. Much of this stems from the denominational backgrounds of the interpretation of this word, baptize. On the one side, there is the thought that John immersed all these people, on the other side he merely sprinkled them as in a ceremonial sense. There is the question rather both men and women came, and if both walked fully clothed in the Jordon and were immersed, as with what occurs today in some denominations. This is to follow the idea of complete burial and resurrection from the dead, that is the complete forgiveness from sin, and its penalty of death, raising as a new creature in Christ. There is evidence of such type of ceremony for a pagan becoming a Jew, but this has nothing to do with that, for this is people confessing their sins, Jews confessing their sins, making a straight path for the Lord in their hearts. People were understanding John to say the time of the Messiah was at hand, and they should prepare themselves for his arrival. We do not know how many people came to him. We do not know exactly how he baptized them, whether by immersion or by sprinkling them and that does not matter whatsoever, although we are sensing even though it seems strange they would be immersed in all their clothing and it would be otherwise not modest in the presence of both men and women to disrobe, we think they had to be immersed, as all need to be immersed in Christ. It also makes more sense this is a manner in which we follow Christ in burial, a mere sprinkling does not imply burial, however, ceremonially it could. But the point is still the same in that the people understood they need to get ready for the coming of the Messiah. We cannot get ready for he has already come, but as he comes into our lives, we do need to confess our sin and be baptized as Jesus was by John in the Jordan. Without the confession of sin, there is no forgiveness of sin. This is the main truth we must always be aware of in our lives. This is not a one-time confession and then we are all set up, finished, and never in need of confessing again for we no longer have any sin. How bizarre to even think that. Sure, we have left that sinful life behind, and we have changed our ways, for the most part, but what about those attitudes of envy, jealously, or not forgiving someone who hurt our feelings, of course, that would then mean that we think more highly of ourselves then we should, which is sin that needs to be confessed. What about the sin of gossip, or resentment, or being judgmental? There are so many attitudes and behaviors each day that would need confessing. Let us always be aware of the Lord and of our need to confess. We say it everything we pray the Lord’s prayer, forgive us our sin as we forgive those who sin against us.